Doctor Who: An Unexpected Journey
by Pandasushiroll
Summary: Somehow the Doctor has gone and inserted himself (and Amy) into the events of The Hobbit! But that's just a story in a book. Right?
1. Prologue

_So last year for whatever reason, I decided to try mixing Doctor Who with the story of The Hobbit. I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea. But I got at least four chapters of the story written and then I must have forgotten about it or something, because I just now rediscovered it in the depths of my documents. Anyway I'll post everything I have on the story up and if anyone wants me to try and continue writing it let me know! Enjoy!_

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><p>~Prologue~<p>

In a box in space there lived a Time Lord. Not just a plain, boring, ordinary box mind you. But a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). A pretty blue box. This blue was so unlike any other shade of blue that it simply must be referred to as TARDIS blue. This box (that was inhabited by a Time Lord and very not ordinary) on the outside, was no bigger and no smaller than a regular police telephone box. Upon entering this extraordinary blue box, you would discover what many before you have (because you certainly wouldn't be the first), that is box that seems so small on the outside is actually quite a bit bigger on the inside! It's a marvelous collection of rooms of all shapes sizes and purposes! An album of memories and adventures. This box is always changing—expanding and collapsing, twisting and turning, curving and flattening. The TARDIS in any other time but the present might even be called magical.

A bit about Time Lords…in this case, we are only interested in one Time Lord in particular. He is a man with many faces and many years behind his name. He is a great hero and a terrible villain all at once, very old and very kind, with an unimaginable pool of fury deep within. He is from a planet which no longer exists, called Gallifrey. Where all the masters of time and space—Time Lords—are from. They have all their own TARDISes (but only his is TARDIS blue) and these little devices called sonic screwdrivers, which can scan things and are very good at opening just about anything. Anything except for wood and deadlocks. And just as every Time Lord has their own special space ship, so do they also have their own special screwdriver. But the only thing you must remember about this Time Lord is how very important he is. He is very, very curious and sometimes very brave. He maybe be your only hope or The Oncoming Storm, a savior or a destroyer depending on the day of the week, and the greatest man you will ever have the fortune (or misfortune) to meet. His name is the Doctor. And he is the very last of his kind.

Unfortunately, (or perhaps very fortunately depending on how you look at things) it is very much the present. A time of reason and logic and discovery. Magic is very rare here.

But sometimes, in very special cases, in very special places, magic lives free. All whimsical and wibbley wobbley! It is in these very special cases, that some of the greatest adventures are told! For with magical tales comes magical creatures. Such as hobbits and dwarves and elves and wizards. And sometimes if you're severely lucky (or unlucky) maybe even a dragon. And as it just so happens that this very Time Lord in this very TARDIS is heading toward a great deal of trouble. And with a great deal of trouble, there is always a great big adventure!

This is the tale of a Time Lord, a hobbit, a bushel of dwarves, a wizard, and a great big adventure.

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><p><em>Oh and as always I do not own and characters from The Hobbit or Doctor Who.<em>


	2. Chapter 1

By some curious chance one morning or afternoon or evening (it was always difficult to tell in space, with no rise and fall of the sun to go by) the Doctor found himself sprawled upon the floor, ever curiously digging through a pile of books in the library. A very peculiar library at that, for in the very center sat a great big pool filled with shimmering water tinted a liquid silver. The Doctor wasn't interested in the silvery water at the moment however, no, no he was _quite _interested in finding one particular book. A book that had long since been waiting to be read. A book that now that he wished to read, could no longer be found. It seemed like all sorts of objects had been behaving this way as of late. Always out in the open when he didn't need them and stubbornly hidden when he did. This day was no different.

Except, that it was. So very, very different from any other day before. He just didn't know it yet.

The TARDIS, ever watchful and aware, knew of this day's importance and immediately set about preparing her Time Lord the only way she knew how. By only showing him the important things. (He really should have taken the hint when the history of Middle Earth jumped off its shelf and onto the back of his head, but alas, the man was not perfect.)

At first, he only winced, eyeing the book suspiciously before he remembered his manners and politely set the book back in its proper place on its proper shelf.

He would not learn of the importance of this day until the ship herself roughly threw him about the room, vibrating and shaking and squawking at him through beeps and flashes of light.

"What's the matter with you?"

Up went the Doctor, quickly regaining his balance (for Time Lords had quite good balance) and springing to action. With a well-balanced pace, he hurried down corridor after corridor until he came upon the main control room, with a pillar of machinery as tall as a great oak tree right in the middle of it.

Screens blinked and blipped at him, beckoning his attention here and there. His fingers were long and spidery, tapping against buttons and keys alike, the images on each screen dancing in response.

A fierce siren sounded, from somewhere in the western end of the ship. "What?" He was incredulous. Confused. _What was happening? _

And then the ship, not of her own free will, began tossing him about again, as if fighting against the slosh of thick waves. His old leather shoes gave him no traction, and if it weren't for his Time Lord strength he wouldn't have been able to keep a firm grip on the console.

And then he realized, all at once, with his grip still steady, what was going on, and had one thing to say: "Geronimo!"

The room was upside down for long moments. And he might have felt sick if he were a normal human. With his still steady grip, the Doctor pulled himself up, bracing his elbows on the metal railing to reach up further still, up until he could hit the big purple stabilizer button. With his head hanging from the strain he huffed a big breath, heaved himself up some more, and with a last burst of energy, managed to slap a hand down on that big purple button.

Slowly the ship turned and turned and turned until she was right side up again. She was still tilted, leaving the floor uneven, but for now he no longer had to worry about falling from the control room to the library. Slumping over the console and now properly tired, he turned himself around to lean back and survey the damage: the history of Middle Earth (along with a series of other small objects) had found their way into the control room, through all the chaotic dancing of unstable gravity fluctuations and all the twisting and turning the ship had been doing.

The Doctor picked his way through all the miniature debris, careful not to step on anything, until he got to the front door. The TARDIS would clean herself up if he stepped out for a moment, so step out he did, and was immediately greeted by the most alarming sight he had seen all morning (or afternoon or evening).

Plumes curled up into the sky from the husks of what used to be a city. A city that looked eerily familiar to one he had read in a book once. Ember and charcoal singed the leftover streets and fleeing citizens. _Odd. I'm sure I've never been here before. And yet…I can't help but feel that I know exactly what's happening. _As he pondered a group of children ran passed.

Hold on.

The Doctor stiffened and turned his head, squinting after him. He was sure those had been fully grown men but not as tall as a man should have been. With proud beards and muscle for working stone and rock. That's when he heard it.

The unmistakable roar that shook a man to his very core, the sound of an oncoming storm, a hurricane against the trees, which creaked and cracked in the dry heat of the day. He was taken aback, but didn't have much time for anything else—a blast of burning light burst before his eyes, demolishing the front gates of the stone fortress where he sat. Was that…?

It moved well for such an unimaginably large creature. Quick on its clawed hands and hind legs, tail like a whip as it cut the air when it swished back and forth, wings folded in a terrible arcing grace, the Doctor wasn't able to see its face, but it ducked its great head into the doorway of the fortress before he could make out its features. That was unmistakably a dragon.

_I'd know that pompous gait anywhere—this is Erebor!_ He glanced once more at the skeleton of the once great city. _The day it fell. Judging by the state of wreckage the siege has only begun…_He closed his eyes and pictured the city as it was in the book, the words flowing easily with their familiar tale. Smaug, a most specially greedy, strong and wicked dragon. He was now through the front gates. Next he would go through all the halls and lanes and tunnels, alleys, cellars and mansions. _Which means the king and his grandfather are still in here looking for a way out. _The Doctor needed no more encouragement before he sprang into action.

It was difficult to navigate with all the smoke and fire bidding his eyes to tear, but the fortress (for the most part) was empty except for the corpses of all the dwarves (he now knew) that had fallen in battle to protect their king. Weaving in and out of halls and alleys and tunnels, he was careful to avoid an encounter with the fire worm. It wasn't too difficult, as Smaug didn't have a firm grasp on the idea of subtly as he moved about, swishing that great big tail and knocking over countless decorations as he carelessly went stomping around. For such fierce creature he certainly had a clumsiness about him. _Or perhaps he deliberately insists on making a ruckus where ever he goes. Because it isn't enough to blow the city and the castle to bits is it? Bloody dragons._

Just as he rounded a corner he nearly knocked over the kings Thrain II and Thror themselves! The dwarves were only briefly stunned however, easily plowing through and carrying him along with them as they went. And so like a leaf caught in a river current, he was propelled backward by the two royal dwarves. Who didn't offer much conversation other than to hurry him along and scold his intelligence.

"Wait, wait, wait." The Doctor dug in his heels and skidded them all three to a firm stop.

The two kings eyed each other warily, before eyeing the castle around them before then finally settling on the Doctor. "We musnt linger here young man."

The Doctor bristled at the term young man, but adjusted his bow tie and calmly said instead, "I have a way out of here that's much faster than either of you can find."

Two sets of bushy brows rose in surprise. No one knew the fortress better than they! Thrain turned to his father, whispering "Surely this man is mad! We must go, now!"

Thror said nothing, as if only just now looking at the strange man before them. "You wouldn't happen to be…a man called the Healer would you?"

"The Healer? Well, I may have been called that once or twice. I have many names, you see," He gave a little grin, quite proud that his reputation had made it this far.

Thror immediately slapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Never you fear! This man is here to save us!" Both Thrain and the Doctor looked surprised, simultaneously asking "he is?" and "I am?" in disbelief.

Another roar sounded from somewhere deep in the castle, though this time hearty and amused. Laughter, perhaps? "We must go! Hurry now, which way is this exit you spoke of, Healer?"

"Right,_ this_ way!" And the Doctor led them on, back through the alleys and tunnels and halls until at last they came upon his blue box. Both dwarves instantly gave snorts and grunts of confusion.

"What is this, man? What have you brought us to?"

"_This_, my good dwarf, is the way out." The strange man gave a grand sweeping gesture toward the mysterious box.

"It hardly appears big enough to fit neither you nor I, let alone all three of us!"

"Oh hush now," He pulled the door open, once again gesturing the dwarves to go inside. "In you go! There's definitely more than enough room!"

Thrain planted his feet firmly on the ground with a defiant scoff. "Now listen here, sir! You must be mad if you think that two dwarves and a man could fit in that slim box! We cannot waste any more time! End your games and show us the way out!"

The Doctor grinned wider than he ever had before. "Trust me." He said easily, as soothing and warm as a good pint of ale. "Because I'm the Doctor, and I'm here to save the day."

Nervously, the two dwarves hesitantly peered inside the bizarre blue box, only to be kicked on the backside and rudely pushed in.

The Doctor caught the swish of Smaug's tail in the corner of his eye, and turned just in time to see the dragon stick his snout in the hall and inhale. Now curious, it ducked its head in further and growled at the sight of the Doctor grinning when he had no right, halfway in the TARDIS and hanging out just enough to shout gleefully, "Not today you great big clumsy oaf! These dwarves are mine!" He slammed the door behind him, just as Smaug opened his terrifyingly large jaws, teeth like swords, and tongue hot with flames. The ship was hardly bothered by the sudden wave of flames gushing around it.

"It'll take more than that to hurt this old girl," He chuckled, frantically punching in coordinates while watching the monitor to his left out of the corner of his eye. Smaug looked positively puzzled and then angered, unable to push his giant frame down the hall any further. The dragon furiously snorted, inhaled deeply, and gave another big exhale of flames. But still, the strange blue box remained.

The two dwarves were speechless, staring up in awe, confusion, and just a bit of horror, turning round and round. "But…this is…its." Thrain could only murmur, Thror was absolutely silent.

"I know, I know," the Doctor waved a dismissive hand over his shoulder. "It's much bigger on the inside. I told you so. Why does no one ever believe me when I say these things?" Outside, Smaug huffed and stubbornly continued blowing gusts of flames at the ship until his throat crackled with miserable hatred. Why would this wooden thing not burn?

"Oh I'm very, very sorry, dear Smaug, but you won't be burning this ship any time soon. It would take a lot more than you could ever give to bring this ship down. She's a tough old girl and she won't be destroyed by the likes of you."

The dwarves stilled stunned, took no notice of the Doctor's mocking words toward the dragon.

"You two might want to hang on! It's going to be an awfully bumpy ride!" He gripped the handle of the accelerator with purpose. "Here it goes…" He slammed down the lever with enthusiasm.

The TARDIS responded immediately, groaning and bidding Smaug an arrogant farewell. The ship faded in and out and in and out until finally it had disappeared from Smaug's view. The control room was slapped with a pull of gravity. The air suddenly heavy, the room shook and moved.

Thror and Thrain hardly knew what to do with themselves, toppling over almost instantly. One of them, the Doctor wasn't really paying attention, began to panic, "What's happening? Why does the earth shake and move?"

"Relax! That's supposed to happen!"

The other dwarf spoke then, "What sorcery is this?"

The Doctor considered explaining that sorcery had nothing to do with his TARDIS, but wisely chose not to bother because it would only be lost on deaf ears.

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><p><em>Leave a review and let me know what you think so far!<em>


	3. Chapter 2

_This marks the last chapter I have written so far. But if enough people are interested I've been seriously considering continuing this story! Anyway, enjoy!_

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><p>It began with a letter. A simple note with a simple scrawl of pencil, complex lines looping and scratchy, giving the distinct feel of a heartfelt message. The entire thing had begun with a letter. A letter from a very special girl, who had been waiting a very long time. And the letter read as follows:<p>

_Doctor,_

_How have you been? I haven't seen you since last year. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I imagined the whole thing. Did you really come back? Or was it just a dream?_

_The only reason I haven't gone crazy is because Rory still dreams about it too. Lately, I've been wondering about him. Does he only believe what I say now because this time there was tangible proof?_

_I've been reading a lot of books too. All of them have been about the most fantastic adventures. Some are classic western tales or about a group who embarks on some long journey. I read one about to kids who took a cross country road trip. I've even been reading some hideously long books. Like Lord of the Rings long. (I know what you're thinking. And the answer is: yes.)_

_Will you be coming back anytime soon?_

_If you are…if I had a way to send this to you I would. But…it's awfully hard to communicate with a man who travels through time and space. Sometimes I think that these letters are more for me than for you. I've written ten of them already. This one will be the eleventh._

_Funny thing about the number eleven. I find that I'm liking it more and more every day. Even though they say that one is the loneliest number, eleven certainly proves them wrong doesn't it? I'd like to think that every one finds its partner in the end. All ones become elevens. It's silly isn't it? Thinking of numbers like people. I already have someone I'd like to see again. It would be nice to go on an adventure with my special one._

_Don't you think?_

_As Always,_

_Amelia Pond, _

_(The Girl Who Remains Waiting)_

Despite not having an address, or an envelope, or even a stamp, the letter wound up right where only _he_ would find it. Underneath the main console of the TARDIS.

He found it exactly eleven minutes after it was written, after its sender had gone to bed, still doubtful (but always just a little hopeful). The letter was in a pretty blue envelope, with postage stamps from all over the world, ranging from Utah to Egypt to Paris. The Doctor found it as he was rewiring one of the navigational matrixes, and thought to himself: _Now, __**that's**__ a TARDIS blue if I ever saw one._ Before he carefully opened it up, and read the simple letter, written in simple pencil. It was the post script message at the bottom of the page that bid him to scurry up the stairs to the main floor and begin punching in coordinates as if there were some emergency.

It all began with a letter. A letter that ended with one simple question: _Will you ever take me with you?_

xXx

She was quick on her feet for only being in a nightgown.

The white dress she wore for the night was loose fitting and long, draping all the way down passed her knees. The garment did nothing to protect her against the chill of the night air, her breath forming marshmallow colored puffs, as she rubbed numb fingers against her arms. Amelia Pond glowered at him from under the archway of the garden.

"Hello!" He jerked his arm up suddenly, pulling it left and right in an overall awkward wave. Amy thought he looked quite stupid waving so nonchalantly like that.

The young woman in front of him scoffed, pacing stiffly forward to poke him with a solid fire colored fingernail, "Look here, _mister_, you can't just show up in the middle of the night after saving the planet—a year late by the way, I've counted, and that's now thirteen years late, and say something as stupidly simple as 'hello'!" His greeting was recanted in a much more mocking, dim-witted way. But regardless, he couldn't help the wide grin on his lips.

"How have you been?" He tried instead, earning him another glower, heavier than the smoky air in Erebor.

Wait a minute.

He pressed a hand over her mouth just as she had begun to speak; earning him yet another variant of what was easily becoming the Amelia Pond "unhappy face". "Before you say anything, I got your letter. And the answer is: yes." His clammy hand lowered, giving her the chance to wipe at her face and gave him a puzzled stare. "Your letter," He said again, stuffing a hand under the front fold of his jacket and pulling free the distinctly TARDIS blue envelope. A few moments passed before he registered her continued confusion. "Oh Amelia honestly, if you're going to send someone a letter you could at least have the decency to remember writing it."

"I…well I do remember." Her eyes (green as emeralds, and twice as beautiful) glittered with confusion, pale forehead creasing, what did he mean? _He couldn't mean the letter I just wrote earlier today…could he? _

Amy reached (with a hesitant hand) for the letter he held toward her as his tangible proof. The envelope was light and smooth in her hands, easy to unfold, and as she pulled the letter she had written free, her heart fluttered. "This is…" The letter was still freshly folded and neat, her hand writing legible even in the gentle glow of moonlight. "I wrote this letter."

"I know," His grin made her uneasy and giddy at the same time.

"No." She swallowed, hands beginning to shake in the face of the sheer mystery and excitement. "I mean, I wrote this letter just ten minutes ago."

The Doctor pursed his lips, as if the situation weren't curious and part of the everyday routine, and lifted his wrist to check his watch. "Eleven minutes ago actually." He got a stunned laugh from her for his trouble. "So," He held out his hand again. "What do you think? You've read about all sorts of adventures. Want to have some of your own?"

"But where would we go?" She took his hand despite all the responsible grown up voices in her head telling her what a childish idea this was. She couldn't just drop everything and run off with some imaginary friend! _Be responsible._

"Anywhere you'd like!" He pulled open the front door of the mysterious blue box, sweeping his free arm forward to gesture her ahead of himself.

_Be. Responsible._

"Anywhere?"

_Amelia! For heaven's sake be responsible!_

"Anywhere!"

_Amelia! Think about thi—_

"What if I told you I wanted to go somewhere that doesn't exist?"

_Amelia—_

"Oh Amelia, you'd have to try very hard to come up with a place I couldn't find." At his confident word she stepped inside, where those responsible voices were promptly silenced.

xXx

The wide smiles she gave him were quickly becoming addictive, sweet and excited, the Doctor prided himself on instilling a sense of adventure in others. He was telling Amy about his recent trip to Erebor, when something dawned on him. "You know, I can't figure out how I ended up there in the first place."

"You didn't fly yourself there?" The hemline of that night gown was (potentially) becoming a distraction. He would have to tell her about the TARDIS' expensive closet system before that hemline became a real problem.

"Ah, no I didn't. She flew herself there actually…" He turned to face the main console, that pillar of machinery, and set a steady hand on one of the three keyboards there.

"You mean like autopilot?"

"Well yes…Except she doesn't _have _an autopilot function."

"No?"

"No…"

"But if you didn't fly her there, and she apparently can't fly herself there, how did you end up in Erebor in the first place?"

"That is a very good question," She yawned, pressing a dainty hand over her mouth. He gave her a small smile, "That I will gladly answer when you're fully awake."

"I _am _fully awake!" He only chuckled at her insistence, she only yawned again. "What? I am!" Those dainty hands went to her skinny hips, but a tired girl was still tired, and not at all threatening. It was endearing really, the frequent yawns, the tired claims; all he had to do was wait her endurance out. "I've waited for thirteen years for this already!"

The reminder quickly weighed on him, his previous promise to twelve year old Amelia Pond resurfacing in a rush. _"Just give me five minutes. I'll be right back!" _He stilled, blue eyes greying at the memory and the picture of that sweet little girl waiting, and waiting, and _waiting _for his return. Waiting for far more than five minutes, waiting for a solid twelve—thirteen years. She had waited long enough. Rather than hurrying Amy off to bed, he gestured to the only chair in the control room, grinned and said, "All right, then. Have a seat over here."

Amy trudged over to the chair, increasingly inviting the more she moved around. Plopping herself down, gracelessly and tired, she yawned yet again.

"Is there anywhere you would especially like to go?"

"Yeah…that Erebor place sounds interesting."

"Huh? But I just finished telling you about its demise!"

"So? Erebor has dwarves! And dragons! I want to see some dwarves and dragons." A brief pause to push herself further up on the seat, straightening her back, she thrust her fist in the air and said, "Bring on the dwarves!"

His cheek twitched, only half out of amusement, the other half at her tired enthusiasm. How could he resist? "But, Pond!" The nickname, well suited in a protest, came easily. "I don't even know how I got there in the first place!"

The red head wasn't deterred in the least, slowly waving her hand back and forth in dismissal. "So figure it out. You're a smart boy, aren't you?"

An eyebrow twitched in response to being called a boy, but he bit his cheek to quell that rant (he would save _that _for later). "But it's not that simple. It's a lot more compli—"

"Thirteen years." She interjected with yet another yawn.

"But, Pond!"

"Thirteen years and four psychiatrists!"

This was the point in the conversation where it became absolutely clear to him, being a very wise Time Lord, that the Doctor realized he would not be winning this argument. So he might as well concede while she was too tired to actually scold him into submission. Shoulders slumping, he surrendered as gracefully as only a Time Lord could. "Oh all right. Fine! I'll try to set us on course." The fatigue must have kept her from noticing his lack of confidence in the chances of him finding Erebor again.

xXx

By some great chance and a well-practiced patience, the Doctor fiddled about the control room until Amelia fell asleep. She was a pleasant, light weight in his arms, as he carried her down one of the ship's many corridors. He paused first at an orange door, before deciding against it, he would stop next at a yellow door, then a red one. This escapade continued, with Amelia warm in his arms, until he came upon a lavender door, and with a triumphant grin he said, "Here we are! This is the perfect spot for you, Pond!"

As he lay her down on the fluffy white duvet, he was reminded of the twelve year old girl he had promised an adventure to. He tucked her in, brushing a few stray strands of that fiery curled mane away from her forehead, smiling softly to himself. "I'll take you wherever you'd like."


End file.
